[Editorial] Unified command: South Korean general to lead allied forces

I am surprised to receive no response to this development.  This did not make today's EarlyBird.  I wonder if it will tomorrow.  The Korean Herald editorial staff is making some important points:

Maintaining the current command structure is a wise decision, given Pyongyang’s increasing nuclear threats and the growing possibility of sudden change in the North. In fact, the present situation is a reason to strengthen the CFC rather than disband it. 

The envisioned combined command will send a clear message to the North that there won’t be any softening of the allies’ joint security posture even after the planned OPCON transition to South Korea. 

It also illustrates the evolution of the military alliance between the two countries to the level of equal partnership.  

Leaving the current system virtually intact would spare South Korea the trouble of setting up its own command with limited resources. Korea will instead be able to focus on modernizing its armed forces.  

It would also provide the U.S. military with more room to maneuver should a sudden change occur in the North. In a word, it would create a win-win situation for both countries.

One of the most important considerations is that this move attacks the north Korean strategy to split the Alliance.  This is the first development since 1978 that stops the perception of declining support to the Alliance.  During every administration since Carter tried to remove all US forces from Korea, there has been a declining US presence and this so-called OPCON transfer and the dissolution of the Combined Forces Command would have been viewed as one of the most successful effects of the north Korean strategy to split the Alliance.  Given the current strategic conditions in Northeast Asia this is a very wise move as the editorial staff writes.

V/R

Dave

[Editorial] Unified command

South Korean general to lead allied forces

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20130603000326

Published : 2013-06-03 20:03
Updated : 2013-06-03 20:03

The militaries of South Korea and the United States have reportedly agreed to maintain the current unified command structure for allied forces even after Seoul takes back the wartime operational control of its armed forces from Washington in December 2015.

The two sides had originally agreed to dissolve the U.S.-South Korean Combined Forces Command following the planned OPCON transfer, with each military operating on its own under a parallel command structure.

Yet according to reports, they recently reached an accord to retain the current arrangement even after the OPCON transition. Under the agreement, the allies will create a new combined command that will play exactly the same role as the CFC. 

There will be, however, one crucial difference between the two: The new command will be headed by the chairman of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, with the commander of U.S. Forces Korea serving as deputy commander.

Currently, the USFK commander, who also heads the United Nations Command, leads the CFC, with a South Korean four-star general supporting him as deputy commander.

Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin, who met his American counterpart Chuck Hagel on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday, said details of the scheme would be unveiled at the Security Consultative Meeting in Seoul in October.

Maintaining the current command structure is a wise decision, given Pyongyang’s increasing nuclear threats and the growing possibility of sudden change in the North. In fact, the present situation is a reason to strengthen the CFC rather than disband it.

The envisioned combined command will send a clear message to the North that there won’t be any softening of the allies’ joint security posture even after the planned OPCON transition to South Korea.

It will also ease concerns among people here about the prospect of South Korean and American forces operating as separate entities during wartime. Under the parallel command system, the South Korean military is supposed to lead allied operations should war break out with the North, with U.S. forces playing a supporting role. 

This arrangement, however, leaves the role of the U.S. military ambiguous, casting doubt on whether cooperation between allied forces will be efficient. Furthermore, it is questionable that the South Korean military will be fully prepared by 2015 to operate on its own during war. 

Creating a new combined command will resolve these problems ― without stopping the ongoing process of South Korea regaining wartime control of its troops.

(Continued at the link below)

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20130603000326

(Korean) Allies agree on new combined command

Let the controversy begin.  I do not know anything more than what is in this article but if it is accurate it is certainly something I endorse (and have endorsed for a long time).  But there are those who will be opposed to the new command arrangement.  This is virtually no change for US SOF as it has for decades fallen under the ROK 3 Star SOF commander in the Combined Unconventional Warfare Task Force.  But we should keep in mind that although not stated in this article the Combined Theater Command (I guess the new acronym will the be the CTC) will likely answer to the Military Committee just as the Combined Forces Command does now.  And the Military Committee is made up of representatives of both nations' National Command and Military Authorities.  But in my mind this is good news.  Will be interesting to see what happens at the Security Consultative Meeting in October.

The agreement by the allies’ Joint Chiefs of Staffs ditched the initial plan for dissolving their Combined Forces Command and building separate command structures 

The plan, which virtually retains the CFC 

Under the allies’ tentative plan, a four-star Korean general is to head the Combined Theater Command ― the envisioned command structure ― while a U.S. general will become its deputy chief.  

Should it be adopted as a final version, it would virtually mark the first time for the U.S. military to be under the operational control of a foreign commander.  

Under the envisioned Combined Component Commands, there would be five wings ― the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Special Ops. Only the combined air force would be led by a three-star U.S. commander, sources said, given the massive amount of U.S. aerial assets to be deployed in case of a peninsular contingency.

V/R
Dave

Allies agree on new combined command

Plan may be finalized at SCM in October but will still need political approval

http://nwww.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20130602000282&utm_source=feedly

Published : 2013-06-02 20:47
Updated : 2013-06-02 20:48

The South Korean and U.S. militaries have agreed to create a new combined command structure similar to their current decades-old apparatus after the transfer of wartime operational control slated for 2015 to maintain high security vigilance, Seoul officials said Sunday.

The agreement by the allies’ Joint Chiefs of Staffs ditched the initial plan for dissolving their Combined Forces Command and building separate command structures. But it should be endorsed by their legislatures and government leaders, the officials noted. 

The plan, which virtually retains the CFC, may be finalized when the allies’ defense chiefs meet for their annual Security Consultative Meeting in Seoul in October, they said. 

South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin (right), U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel (center) and Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera pose for a photo prior to their talks at the annual Asia Security Summit, better known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, in Singapore on Saturday. (Defense Ministry)

“The current command system has been entrenched as an ideal mechanism. Thus, (South Korea and the U.S.) share the understanding that (the efforts to build a new command structure) be pushed for in this direction,” Seoul’s Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin told reporters on the sidelines of the Asia Security Summit, a gathering of defense ministers in Singapore on Saturday.

The allies initially agreed to scrap the CFC and build a cooperative body to ensure bilateral military collaboration. But amid North Korea’s increasing nuclear and missile threats, they have thought twice about the original plan. 

Conservatives here have increased their calls for keeping the CFC as its dissolution could embolden the North, undermine the allies’ operational efficiency and weaken U.S. security commitments. After Seoul retakes the OPCON, it will assume a leading role in wartime operations with the U.S. providing support.

Under the allies’ tentative plan, a four-star Korean general is to head the Combined Theater Command ― the envisioned command structure ― while a U.S. general will become its deputy chief. 

Should it be adopted as a final version, it would virtually mark the first time for the U.S. military to be under the operational control of a foreign commander. 

Under the envisioned Combined Component Commands, there would be five wings ― the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Special Ops. Only the combined air force would be led by a three-star U.S. commander, sources said, given the massive amount of U.S. aerial assets to be deployed in case of a peninsular contingency.

Seoul’s Defense Ministry spokesperson Kim Min-seok expressed caution, stressing the plan was far from finalization.

“Although the allied militaries thought it would be an ideal form, it should go through many procedures such as getting understanding from the government as a whole, and the legislature and other political circles,” he told reporters.

(Continued at the link below)

http://nwww.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20130602000282&utm_source=feedly